PARIS, June 11 — Professional footballers will now be represented at Fifa Council meetings, players’ union FIFPRO said yesterday. 

The union announced the agreement with the game’s global governing body, which will come into effect immediately, on the eve of the 2026 World Cup.

“Representatives will serve on the Football Tribunal, Fifa’s judicial bodies, several standing committees and the Human Rights and Sustainability Sub-Committee, reflecting a shared commitment to ensuring that players’ voices are further heard and appropriately represented in Fifas decision-making processes,” the players’ union said in a statement.

The agreement will also see FIFPRO “be represented on the FIFA Council as an observer with speaking rights”.

FIFPRO will work with Fifa on player welfare, the international match calendar and the transfer system—issues on which the bodies have frequently clashed.

The deal also provides for the withdrawal of legal proceedings brought against Fifa by FIFPRO, its continental divisions and member unions.

FIFPRO had filed a complaint with the European Commission in October 2024 over the calendar, denouncing the increasing workload placed on professional players. — AFP

 

Banks, crypto firms and Kremlin oil reserves also targeted in 21st set of measures since full-scale invasion of Ukraine

The EU hopes to ban Russian soldiers from entering its territory as part of further sanctions against Moscow that also target banks, crypto firms and the Kremlin’s oil revenues.

Announcing the proposals on Tuesday, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “We propose for the first time to ban from entry into the European Union anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces since the beginning of the war. So Europe stays off limit for anyone who has participated in the invasion of Ukraine, as simple as that.”

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© Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

© Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

© Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images